Daytime, outskirts of Glamorne, on Lake Starbind.
Dorothy drifted quietly across the still waters in a small boat, positioned precisely where the New Moon’s shadow should reside. As she searched for the so-called Shadowless Gate , two of the items she carried with her began to react.
One was a fragment of black jade she had obtained from Withered Wing, originally brought back by the famed explorer Bartholomeo from the Wistful Sea in the East. The other was the Concealment Ring, left to her by her mother whom she had never met. Both items were closely linked to the Mirror Moon faith. Seeing them glow with a faint silvery light, Dorothy examined them carefully.
“This black jade fragment… it’s a treasure Bartholomeo found in the Wistful Sea. It’s supposedly part of something called the ‘Moon Crown.’ According to the fragmented mystical text Withered Wing dropped, the Moon Crown is a key artifact needed to cross the Wistful Sea and reach the ‘Nation of Night.’ It can even help the Blackdream Hunting Pack pass through the disorienting forbidden zone created by the silken cocoon of Panmoth.”
“From what Withered Wing’s mystical text suggests, the so-called ‘Moon Crown’ is a kind of key—a key that bypasses restrictions born from the power of Shadow. After wearing this black jade fragment, the wearer becomes partially shielded from the influence of Shadow mystical forces. Perhaps that’s a weakened manifestation of the key’s true power? Is that why it’s reacting now—because of the Shadowless Gate?”
“And then there’s my heirloom ring—it’s also responding. Is it resonating with the black jade? Or reacting to the gate itself?”
Dorothy considered this silently, but after a moment, stopped overthinking it. The reaction of the two items was enough to confirm that her previous deductions were likely correct. Her opportunity had arrived.
After a quick deliberation, Dorothy decided to proceed with a test. She gripped the glowing black jade fragment tightly, took a deep breath, and slowly extended the hand holding it over the edge of the boat, dipping it into the lake.
Her hand entered the water. She gently stirred, sensing the currents below—and her eyes widened slightly, a glimmer of realization forming in her gaze.
She withdrew her hand and murmured softly. Having confirmed what she sensed, she now knew what she had to do.
To be safe, Dorothy first activated a Water-Breathing sigil, slapping it against herself. As its effect took hold, she used her micro corpse marionettes and bird corpse marionettes to survey the surroundings, ensuring no one was watching her. Once she was certain, she crawled toward the edge of the boat and stared into the water, gazing at her own reflection—as though she were looking straight into the invisible moon’s shadow on the surface.
Her expression sharpened with resolve.
Then, in one swift motion, Dorothy leapt from the boat. With a small splash, she plunged into the lake. After a few ripples, she vanished completely.
On the now-empty boat, only one corpse marionette remained seated. As the lake stilled once again, the reflections of sky and boat returned to perfect calm. Dorothy’s form had disappeared—either sunk rapidly into the lake’s depths, or… dissolved completely upon entering the water.
In any case, under the bright daylight, Lake Starbind remained as serene as ever. The brief disturbance had gone unnoticed by all, as though nothing had happened.
…
Here—
It was a realm of silent, shrouded haze. The sky was pitch-black, darkness draping the heavens and stretching toward the distant horizons on every side.
Mountains loomed, forests thick with foliage, but none of them bore any color. No red, no blue, no yellow, no green—color did not exist here. Everything in this world was devoid of hue, steeped in a distorted, colorless state beneath a dim, dark sky.
And in this colorless world, the only thing that held color—was a massive, irregular mirror.
It glowed faintly, dim but real. Surrounded by the colorless mountain ranges, this immense mirror shimmered gently, and within it flowed countless colored images.
Suddenly, the mirror began to ripple. A small disturbance spread across part of the surface, quickly intensifying into expanding concentric waves. At that moment, it became clear—this wasn’t simply a mirror, but rather a sheet of water, impossibly smooth and still.
From the rippling surface, a figure suddenly emerged, rising from within and floating above it.
It was Dorothy, soaked and dripping. As she burst forth from the water, she exhaled deeply.
Looking up at the illusory, dark sky above, she hovered there for a moment in silent awe. Then she activated her Flowing Current Form, using magnetic control to manipulate the concealed metal beneath her clothing and slowly lift herself out of the water, floating into the air.
Suspended above that perfectly mirrored surface, Dorothy could now take in this strange space with clarity. She surveyed the surroundings once again: the colorless mountains, the distant towns, all utterly drained of hue. Then she whispered.
“So this… is the inner realm within Lake Starbind?”
Lowering her gaze, she inspected what lay beneath her—a vast, flawless mirror of water.
From this vantage in midair, she could clearly see the water’s full expanse. It was shaped exactly like Lake Starbind in the real world.
And within that lake’s surface, Dorothy saw something astonishing: the reflections of things that didn’t exist in this space. Looking down, she saw the blue sky, the white clouds, and the brilliant sun—all of them reflecting off the water’s surface. Around the lake’s edge were mirrored images of verdant mountains. In the lake’s center, she could even see a small boat drifting quietly—though from her current position, she could only see its underside.
This water’s reflection was the only source of color in this entire colorless world. More accurately, it was the colors of the real world, projected through the lake’s surface into this space.
In Dorothy’s eyes, the water mirror beneath her displayed a completely different world—an inverted reflection of the real Lake Starbind. It felt as though she were staring upward from the lakebed of the real world, peering from the underside of the lake’s surface. Yet at this moment, she wasn’t actually underwater, but rather in a wholly different space.
Dorothy felt as though she had stepped into a mirror. The lake’s surface had served as that mirror, and now, within this mirrored world, everything mirrored reality—but reversed, and stripped of color. The colorless mountain ranges she saw were identical to the ones around the real Lake Starbind. In the far distance, she could even make out the city of Glamorne—its buildings likewise drained of all color. The lakeside where townsfolk normally strolled was now completely deserted. While Dorothy could observe this mirrored version of the world through the lake, no one on the real Lake Starbind could see this hidden realm.
“So this is… the world behind the mirror? How extraordinary…”
Admiring the view before her, Dorothy murmured quietly. Then she turned her attention back to the mirrored lake below, continuing to observe its finer details.
Upon closer inspection, Dorothy noticed that in addition to the reversed reflection of Lake Starbind, there stood eight stone pillars evenly spaced around the lake’s surface, forming a large circle. Each pillar bore a carved image, and at a glance, Dorothy immediately recognized the carvings as eight phases of the moon.
Crescent moon, first quarter, gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent… Seven of the pillars displayed different moon shapes corresponding to various phases. The final pillar, however, bore no carving at all—symbolizing the new moon, the beginning and end of the lunar cycle. Only that last pillar, representing the new moon, was faintly glowing, while the rest remained inert.
Dorothy had emerged into this mirrored space from the waters near that very new moon pillar. It seemed that each of the eight pillars marked the locations of entry gates into this realm—and currently, only the new moon gate was active.
At the center of the circle formed by these pillars stood a towering structure built from colorless stone. It appeared as though its foundation was sunk into the mirrored lake, or perhaps it simply floated above it—its presence evoked a sense of uncanny unreality.
Fixing her gaze on the massive colorless building in the distance, Dorothy’s expression grew serious. She activated her abilities and slowly floated toward the structure, drawing closer and closer.
Now at a nearer vantage point, Dorothy could examine the architecture in more detail. At a glance, it was unmistakably a cathedral—and one that carried traces of Radiance Church aesthetics.
A towering, domed ceiling; outer walls reinforced with slanted columns; large windows arranged in symmetrical rows; long colonnades upheld by countless pillars—this majestic building was constructed from plain, colorless stone, yet its sheer scale gave it overwhelming grandeur.
The central structure, a vast main hall topped with a dome, was the most striking part of the entire cathedral. Just by sight, Dorothy estimated it to be over forty or fifty meters tall—larger even than Tivian’s famed Hymn Cathedral. Around the central dome were smaller subsidiary domes, arranged in a highly regular pattern. The doors and windows were all rounded arches.
Although this colorless cathedral bore some resemblance to Radiance Church cathedrals, it was in many ways quite distinct. For instance, the enormous dome was not something typical of Radiance cathedrals, which usually featured sharp spires and towers. This structure, by contrast, was characterized by gentle curves and a more rounded style.
“I finally found it… So this is… the Temple of the Moon?”
Floating midair, Dorothy gazed at the vast, colorless cathedral and murmured softly. After all her efforts, she had at last located it.
After circling the massive and uniquely styled cathedral once more from the outside, Dorothy slowly descended. Her feet touched down upon the colonnade floor as she stepped onto the path of colorless marble tiles, making her way into the cathedral. As she neared the entrance, the heavy double doors opened automatically, revealing a passage into the building.
Pausing briefly at the sight of the suddenly open doors, Dorothy then steeled herself and stepped inside. Her eyes swept over the surroundings, taking in the vast, undecorated interior. Not a single ornament or furnishing could be seen—everything was spartan and bare. The entire structure was built solely from colorless stone.
Dorothy continued walking through the cathedral. Before long, another set of doors opened in front of her. What lay beyond was a space far larger than any she had seen so far—clearly the cathedral’s main sanctuary, or rather… its grand chapel.
The grand chapel was circular in layout, situated beneath a massive domed ceiling. Though the chamber was immense, it too lacked any decorative features, creating a sense of stark emptiness. Apart from a few benches arranged on the ground, there was only a single statue present.
It was the statue of the Mirror Moon Goddess, one that Dorothy had seen before.
This statue stood several stories tall—taller than the one housed in the Serenity Bureau’s headquarters. Draped in a flowing gown intricately sculpted to resemble gossamer silk, with long, threadlike hair cascading downward, the goddess held a distinctive mirror in her hands. While the statue’s form was enlarged, its pose and styling were nearly identical to those Dorothy had previously encountered, save for a few differences.
But—
It was precisely those minor differences that caused Dorothy, the moment her eyes fell upon the statue, to freeze in place.
This was the most complete statue of the Mirror Moon Goddess she had ever seen. Unlike the defaced ones manipulated by the Eight-Spired Nest, this statue still had its head intact. Unlike the one at the Serenity Bureau, its face was preserved.
And it was that face which made Dorothy furrow her brows deeply.
A serene and peaceful countenance, with eyes gently closed and lips relaxed—
The goddess’s face was that of a tranquil, beautiful young woman.
And the moment Dorothy saw it, a strange sense of familiarity surged through her.
She froze on the spot and instinctively traced the source of this familiarity using her extraordinary memory.
And what she uncovered made her eyes widen in disbelief.
That familiarity—didn’t come from anyone else.
It came from her own reflection.
Yes. From the face she saw in the mirror every day when she washed and combed her hair.
The face of the Mirror Moon Goddess’s statue… bore an astonishing resemblance to Dorothy’s own face!
The similarity was at least seventy to eighty percent.
Had it not been for the slightly older features, the two would be nearly identical.